By Chad Bray Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- The deadline to seek an indictment in the criminal case against the former accountant of convicted Ponzi-scheme operator Bernard Madoff has been extended another 30 days.
On Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel Gorenstein in Manhattan extended the deadline to present evidence to a grand jury in support of an indictment against David G. Friehling, the sole practitioner at Friehling & Horowitz, CPAs, PC until June 17.
As they did in April, prosecutors requested the extension, in part, "for the purpose of allowing time to conduct additional discussions regarding a possible disposition of this case," according to a court document submitted in support of the extension.
A lawyer for Friehling didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment Monday.
Friehling was charged with securities fraud, aiding and abetting investment adviser fraud and four counts of filing false audit reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission in March.
Prosecutors have alleged that Friehling, from the early 1990s to December 2008, created false and fraudulent certified financial statements for Madoff's firm, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC.
The government also has alleged that he failed to conduct independent audits of Madoff's firm that complied with generally accepted auditing standards and conformed with generally accepted accounting principles and falsely certified he had done so.
On March 12, Madoff was ordered directly to jail after he pleaded guilty to 11 criminal counts in connection with a decades-long Ponzi scheme that bilked thousands of investors out of billions of dollars. The scheme came to light in December.
Madoff, 71 years old, faces what could amount to a life sentence. He is expected to be sentenced June 29.
-By Chad Bray, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-227-2017; chad.bray@dowjones.com
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Publié le 18 Mai 2009 Copyright © 2009 Dowjones